


'Tis A Silly Place

by Spacecadet72



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-14
Updated: 2012-11-14
Packaged: 2017-11-18 15:24:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/562539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumplestiltskin takes Belle along on a deal to Camelot, when  disaster strikes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	'Tis A Silly Place

**Author's Note:**

> Set pre-curse.

Rumplestiltskin had known this was a bad idea. He cursed the blue eyes and feminine figure that had been distracting him as of late. He had thought that having a caretaker would combat his loneliness, but having Belle around just destroyed all of his focus.

The situation they now found themselves in was proof that having her around addled his brain.

He ran through the streets of the inner city, looking for his kidnapped housekeeper. It would have been easier to just teleport to her, but he didn’t know where she was and the sorcerer who had taken her was making it difficult to track them.

He scowled as the thought crossed his mind that all of this could have been avoided if he’d just listened to his gut in the first place.

She had come to him one day, asking if she could join him on his deals. His instinct told him to say no, but he couldn’t seem to deny her anything. Especially when she smiled so sweetly and her eyes sparkled.

Despite his misgivings, he had come to her a few days later telling her to pack warmly for a couple days. They were going to Camelot.

Their trip had started out well. Rumplestiltskin had transported them there magically, which had delighted Belle. He had smiled faintly at that, and internally scolded himself. He had reasoned that bringing her along would make him more sympathetic in his deal. Having a woman along would soothe Queen Guinevere-even if he wasn’t supposed to know her identity. He refused to acknowledge that any part of this trip was to see Belle’s face light up with delight.

The deal had even run smoothly. His hunch about bringing Belle along had been correct. The Queen had been much more relaxed than she had in previous meetings. The deal had gone as planned, with both sides pleased with the outcome.Guinevere might change her mind about how happy she was with the deal later, but now that the deal was struck, it wasn’t Rumplestiltskin’s problem anymore.

It wasn’t until later that night that things started to go wrong. Rumplestiltkin-hood up to hide his identity-had taken Belle to a local magic show. He tried to squash the warm feeling that bubbled up in his chest as her face lit up with delight. They had slipped into the back of the crowd, Belle’s grin of delight not having dimmed since they left their lodging. They watched with the rest of the crowd as the magician lit up the sky with bright lights and flashy illusions. Rumplestiltskin recognized the illusions as just that. They were cheap parlor tricks, not real magic. Belle looked so happy that he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

It was towards the end of the act that Rumplestiltskin felt it. He stiffened and hissed under his breath, cursing himself that he hadn’t noticed the magical presence before. He turned to Belle to tell her they had to leave, but came face to face with an illusion that only looked like his housekeeper. It flt like the breath had been knocked out of him. How could he have been so stupid?

He waved the illusion away, and quietly slipped out of the crowd before breaking into the run. He had been running for several minutes before he finally caught a trace of his target. He rounded a final bend, before he found Belle unconscious on the ground of an alley. A man in a long, black robe was bent over the unconscious form of his housekeeper. He could tell it was just a low level mage. He cursed when he realized how the man had gotten the upper hand. The Evil Queen’s magic was practically rolling off the man in front of him. The man turned around then, stopping mid-curse.

Rumplestiltskin extended a hand and snapped, turning the man into a snail without a moment’s hesitation. He practically ran to Belle, pausing only to crush the snail under his boot. He knelt down next to Belle, feeling magically for what damage had been dealt. He breathed a sigh of relief when he determined that the damage had been minimal. He quickly removed all aspects of the curse the man had been trying to enact. As soon as he was satisfied that she was going to be okay, he knew he just had to wait for her to wake up. A flash of light caught his eye and he turned and noticed a small hand mirror the man had left on the ground. He picked it up, and began speaking angrily into it.

“Big mistake, dearie. You come after her and I’ll return the favor. You better watch your back, because I definitely will be.” he then smiled a cruel smile before throwing the mirror against a wall, shattering it.

The sound woke Belle, her eyes fluttering open. “Rumplestiltskin?” she said groggily, sitting up slowly. He rushed over to her side, holding her arms to steady her.

“Careful, dearie.” he cautioned as one of her hands flew up to rest on her temple.

“What happened?” she asked, sounding confused. Rumplestiltskin forced his voice to stay light and calm.

“Just a ruffian looking to get something from me.” he said smoothly, not telling Belle the real source of the problem. “He’s been taken care of.”

Belle smiled shakily. “Well, you know Camelot. ‘Tis a silly place.”

The joke was weak at best, and they both knew it, but their relief at her well being caused them to laugh more heartily than the joke warranted. He helped her stand up, both of them a little shaky. “Let’s go home.” she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

His heart swelled at the contact and he nodded. “Home it is, dearie.”


End file.
